Issue 134. September 19, 2025 ✨ Higher Power Coaching & Consulting ✨
We’ve all been told the same story: if you want to get ahead, you need more degrees, more experience, more credentials.
But my own career tells a very different story.
I’ve landed multiple roles where, on paper, I was “the least qualified.”
- I taught Sociology of Gender at a state university without a master’s degree.
- I landed a research job at Yale, beating out candidates with master’s and PhDs.
- I built an 11-year career as an adjunct professor at Quinnipiac University, chosen over candidates with stronger paper credentials.
How did I do it? By knowing how to position myself.
The Break That Started It All
After finishing my bachelor’s in sociology at Eastern Connecticut State University, I stayed in touch with my advisor. She was also the chair of the Sociology Dept. One day, the professor scheduled to teach Sociology of Gender dropped out — the day before classes started.
My advisor called: “Can you teach it next week?”
I didn’t have a master’s degree. I had never taught a class on my own. But she knew me, trusted me, and offered to walk me through it. I said yes.
That “unqualified” opportunity opened the door to a career in higher ed.
Turning One Break Into a Career
When I later applied to Quinnipiac University, they noticed something unusual: teaching at UConn before I had even finished my master’s degree. That stood out.
They hired me over more traditionally “qualified” candidates, and I went on to teach there for 11 years.
Lesson: One bold “yes” can set you up for opportunities that last years.
My Leap Into Yale
Around the same time, I attended a two-day seminar on resumes, cover letters, networking and interviewing — the kind usually reserved for executives being downsized (and priced around $3,000). I got in for free because of a friend I made in grad school who pulled in a favor for me. She felt she “owed” me because I helped her make it through our graduate research methods class.
The skills I learned in that seminar changed everything:
- How to highlight accomplishments instead of job descriptions
- How to write a resume that communicates value, not just duties
- How to network and bring value to those in your network (which I was already doing)
- How to interview with confidence
- How to negotiate offers
When I applied to Yale, there were 47 candidates. They interviewed 15. I know this because I was later able to review all those resumes. I was shocked at how many of them had much more education and experience than me. On paper, I was objectively the least qualified. But my resume, cover letter and interview skills got me the offer.
Why I’m Sharing This Now
For years, I’ve helped friends and colleagues with their resumes, cover letters, and interview prep. And I’ve noticed the same thing over and over: most people write resumes that are just job descriptions. They list tasks, not impact.
What actually gets you noticed are your accomplishments — the stories that prove your value.
That’s why I created my Resume Story Mining Process™ and Accomplishments Audit™. Together, we pull out your real career stories, uncover your distinctive competencies, and make sure they shine on your resume, in your cover letters, and in your interviews.
And here’s the best part: once you know your stories, you not only have stronger job materials — you feel more confident about your identity and the value you bring.
👉 If this resonates, I’d love to help. Here’s how we can work together:
Career Identity Services
1. Resume Story Mining Session (Foundation)
2-hour 1:1 session where we:
- Walk through the Resume Story Mining Process™
- Conduct your Accomplishments Audit™
- Identify your distinctive competencies
You’ll walk away with clarity on your value and accomplishments you can insert into your resume/cover letter on your own.
💵 Regular price: $297
🍂 September Early Bird: $227
2. Resume + Cover Letter Upgrade
Everything in the Story Mining Session, PLUS:
- Resume rewrite/reframe (up to 2 pages)
- One cover letter review or co-creation
- My proven Cover Letter Exercise to help you align your stories with a real job posting (guided, not DIY)
💵 Regular price: $597
🍂 September Early Bird: $497
3. Job Strategy Intensive (Best Value)
Everything in #2, PLUS:
- 90-minute strategy session on networking + positioning
- Interview prep using your accomplishment stories as “back-pocket” answers
- Email support for 30 days while applying/interviewing
- Bonus: Networking & Negotiation Scripts
💵 Regular price: $997
🍂 September Early Bird: $797
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